Shop Fronts Service Officer

Hackney’s Markets, Shop Fronts & Street Trading Service has become one of the most celebrated local authority teams in the country with 24 national awards in seven years, pioneering digital licensing, leading London-wide reforms, and launching some of the boldest public-realm projects in the UK.

We keep Hackney’s streets vibrant, safe and buzzing from bustling restaurant terraces to beautifully managed shopfronts, thriving al fresco dining spaces, London’s first Zero Plastic Markets, and now the introduction of licensed A-boards, Business Parklets, and expanded Al fresco dining zones and street eateries.

Now we’re growing. We’re looking for two brilliant Shop Fronts Service Officers who want to be part of something genuinely special: people who thrive in fast-paced public spaces, enjoy building relationships with businesses, and want to shape how one of London’s most dynamic boroughs looks, feels, and trades.

About the Role

As a Shop Front Services Officer, you’ll be the friendly, knowledgeable and authoritative presence on Hackney’s high streets, helping businesses thrive while ensuring our public spaces remain safe, inclusive and beautifully managed.

You will:

• Contribute to the rollout of Hackney’s new A-board licensing scheme, inspections, compliance, business support and day-to-day management.

• Support the launch and expansion of Business Parklets and enhanced outdoor trading areas.

• Manage and enforce pavement licences, shop front trading, al fresco dining, and licensed premises activity.

• Resolve issues on the street with confidence, fairness, and professionalism.

• Carry out inspections, measurements and compliance checks across the borough

• Work directly with hundreds of local businesses from cafés and restaurants to retailers and creative independents.

• Support sustainability, accessibility and zero-waste initiatives through practical and consistent street management.

• Play a key role in Hackney’s ambitious environmental and inclusive-economy goals.

You will work a rota pattern that includes weekends, evenings and late nights, ensuring Hackney is thriving when the borough is busiest.

Do you have a valid Driving License license?, Do you have experience in Microsoft Office?, A confident communicator who loves working with people

• Calm, practical and diplomatic - even during challenging situations

• Someone who enjoys outdoor, hands-on work across different sites

• Strong on fairness, consistency and public service

• Happy balancing advisory support with firm, clear enforcement

• Organised, digitally confident and able to manage your own workload

• Excited to help shape the future of Hackney’s streets

Experience in licensing, enforcement, business engagement, retail, hospitality, markets, public realm or similar environments is welcome but attitude, judgement, values and presence matter most.

You’re a trusted presence in public space, a relationship-builder, and a driver of positive outcomes.

You will bring:

• Proven frontline or operational leadership experience, ideally in public services, markets, retail, events, hospitality, or enforcement

• Strong commercial awareness and confidence to grow income.

• A commitment to fairness, sustainability and public service

• Ability to manage licensing, inspections, business engagement and on-site resolution

• Excellent communication skills, both face-to-face and in writing

• Digital literacy, confident using Microsoft Office, Google Suites, CRM systems and tablets

• Comfort with outdoor working, manual handling, and physical movement around the borough.

• A full and clean driving licence.